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Russ Fischer

Post subject: Re: Brownhoist cranes

Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 2:29 pm

Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:40 amPosts: 86Location: Chama, NM

Monticello Railway Museum has a 30 ton model (#11442) built in 1944, in its original steam powered, oil fired configuration. It came to us in operable condition from Bates & Rogers Construction Company.

After using it for many years in its as received condition, it needed some work. We re-tubed the boiler, made some mechanical repairs, and gave it new paint, returning it to service for the museum in 2005. It is currently operable although we have not used it for several years.

Unloading the trucks for IC Gulfport in Monticello shortly after completion of the repair work.

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CCDW

Post subject: Re: Brownhoist cranes

Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:25 pm

Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:30 pmPosts: 150

If anyone is rebuilding a Brown Hoist, I have a large bronze worm gear, new, that had a tag on it describing it as a part for a Brown Hoist crane, no model number mentioned nor part number. If you need a worm and the dimensions of yours matches mine I will make you a hell of a deal provided you convince me that it will be used in a restoration/repair. I won't give someone 135 lbs of bronze unless I believe it will be used for what it was intended.

It came from the Southern Pacific maintenance facility in Beowawe in 1982. That is all I know.

kevin kohls

Post subject: Re: Brownhoist cranes

Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:10 pm

Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 8:35 pmPosts: 240

Larry123: In reference to your question concerning Industrial Brownhoist cranes under 200 tons and less: I take that to mean (locomotive) cranes versis (wrecking) cranes. The main difference being that one is self propelled and the other is not. I'm not trying to be a smart """ here, just mentioning there is a difference. As far as there being a record of those existing cranes; I WISH there was one ! Having loved locomotive cranes for most of my life I have discovered there is very little appreciation for them ! Sadly, the high scrap prices have seen many fine examples destroyed, some by the museums that owned them. Any steam powered locomotive crane is a rare beast indeed; once the gas and diesel engine came along most of them were re-powered. There is a list of cranes built by Industrial Brownhoist; but that is not public information at this time. Another company that was purchased by Industrial Brownhoist was McMyler Interstate Co. of Bedford, Ohio. I have yet to discover a builder's list, and if a crane exists that they built I have yet to see it.

Kevin K.

larry123

Post subject: Re: Brownhoist cranes

Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 11:29 am

Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 5:56 pmPosts: 29

We have a #5 Industrial Brownhoist crane at the Abilene Smoky Valley Railroad in Abilene KS that we used on bridge job for the railroad. The crane was made in 1945 with a diesel engine. It has spent ALL of its operating life in Kansas.May be if we all work together we could come up with a current list of any locomotive cranes still in use now. They could be either in museums -- private hands - or railroads.

kevin kohls

Post subject: Re: Brownhoist cranes

Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 11:07 pm

Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 8:35 pmPosts: 240

Larry123: Can you provide some photos of the IB crane ? I know there is one person who has been working on a list of locomotive cranes; perhaps he will chime in.

We have an ex C&O 250ton Brownhoist wrecking crane in Coopersville, MI. It needs work but does run and function. Nobody knows how to operate it anymore, though. It was the original replacement for the steam crane at the Pere Marquette's Wyoming Yard.

John T

Post subject: Re: Brownhoist cranes

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 7:55 pm

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pmPosts: 782

I see that someone has already posted the address of International Steam's page on surviving rail cranes. Are you interested only in cranes built by Brownhoist (1880-1927) or those built by Industrial Brownhoist (1927-1960) as well? As you may have noticed cranes are the bastard stepchildren of railroad research.

BerwickRailFan

Post subject: Re: Brownhoist cranes

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:03 pm

Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2014 3:40 pmPosts: 69

Glad this topic came up. Here is a description from a 1964 brochure for the Carroll Park and Western Railroad about their #25 Crane. Anyone have any photos of it or know more aobut it's history? I beleive it came from the Luzerne County Gas & Electric Corp.

Interesting photo! I don't recall seeing this photo before. Did you find it in the digital collections of the University of Washington-Museum of History & Industry or somewhere else?

Anyways, a little background information on where this photo was taken:

As noted at the bottom margin, this photo was taken on July 17th, 1914 (right around Noon, by the looks of it) at Smith's Cove (or Smith Cove), which is the most northern portion of Elliott Bay. Like the Duwamish estuary at the southern end of Elliott Bay, Smith Cove has been reduced in size via filling and the construction of piers over the last 125 years. In 1892, the GN acquired 600 acres for the construction of 2 piers in the eastern half of the cove (initially numbered* 38 and 39, later 88 and 89), which became the center of that road's silk trade, as well as for the construction of Interbay Yard & Roundhouse. In c. 1911, the Port of Seattle acquired the 2 piers from GN and built 2 additional piers in the western half of the cove (initially numbered* 40 and 41, later 90 and 91).

With the onset of World War II, the Navy acquired the piers and surrounding land for the construction of new supply and support facilities, during the war the Smith Cove piers became a major point of embarkation for troops being deployed in the Pacific Theater.

Naval activities were eventually moved to bases elsewhere in Puget Sound (mainly to Bremerton), with only the National Guard Seattle Armory remaining. The original GN piers were eventually filled in themselves, and this area is now occupied by several small office buildings and the northern-most section of Myrtle Edwards Park, adjacent to the BNSF ex-GN mainline. The 2 western piers are now used by the numerous cruise ships that dock in Seattle annually, and mainly because of this, in the last several years, a major project was underway to remove undetonated WWII-era munitions from the cove next to the 2 remaining piers!

Looking at this photo, I'd say this is not the construction of the new Piers 40 & 41, but rather repair and upgrade work on either Pier 38 or 39, shortly after the Port acquired the pair from GN (the new piers were built of concrete, and this appears to be a deck timber replacement project).

*Also during WWII, the Coast Guard developed a new numbering system for the many private and publicly owned piers around Elliott Bay; hence, the Smith Cove piers were renumbered from 38-41 to 88-91.

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